Welcome to The Beck DIET solution discussion group, support group, diet coach group relating to the book by Dr. Judith S. Beck:

The Beck DIET solution: train your brain to think like a thin person.

The Beck Diet Solution is a psychological program, not a food plan. It provides a step-by-step program to learn specific techniques to stay on our diet, lose weight, and maintain our weight loss for life. The program is based on Dr. Beck's clinical research in Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT).

There are no eating plans, calorie counts, recipes or exercises; according to Beck, any healthy diet will work if we learn to think differently about eating and food. Beck's book is like an extended therapy session with a diet coach.

This is a place to discuss the Beck strategies and our daily efforts, to receive and provide support, and, for some of us, is where we serve as on-line diet coach to each other.

If youve arrived from a search engine, youve landed at the site of 3 fat chicks, a remarkable place for those interested in a healthy life style, including mindful eating, exercise, and weight loss. More about the site, including how to register so that you can post can be found here.

The book, The Beck Diet Solution, is available on Amazon through the 3FC store by clicking here.

Today I think I am almost normal. 95% I'd say. Glad that bug's passed on by. I have to go in, spend a few hours at the school in the ceramic room, then home to get the rental car for this weekend's markets. Crossing my fingers it's a lucrative weekend. I am actively trying to gather $ to pay for my courses at the end of this month. Need about $1200. Would be great if I could get enough for next semester too, (an additional $1500), but I think that's too much to hope for... but you never know. I will still aim for the Big Prize. Why not?

I'm going to commit to do one simple thing Nadine asked of me last week. Today and over the weekend I will eat a lean protein with whatever else I am having. Proper portions. Try to eat my snacks and my meals... not sure I am totally ready for that as I write this. But I am going to log my food as well. She emailed me the blank foodlog I followed for her last week. I'll commit to doing that again. I'll need to plan for a few meals I think, well, minimally make sure I have protein sources to draw from. That's the basic thing.

I found 2lbs overnight btw. 258 today. Funny how that goes. Still less than 260 though. I'll take it.

sciencequeen Many of us have spent more than a day on chapters that were challenging for us. Sometimes a week. Sometimes we spend days and move on anyway, not wanting it to be a means to sabotage ourselves and our progress. It's good. Have a great day today

BillBlueEyes You know, the last few times I ate food that was a poor choice it was because I was in the store, rushing, behind on something, looking to get "a snack" and it was price that convinced me. 49 cents for a four-square bar of pure extra cocoa chocolate. "I can have that." I said to myself. Then I notice, one is dark chocolate, one milk. "Oh I can have both. Not even a dollar." When a low price is coupled with "Gee I've never had that. Wonder what that tastes like?" Oh almost impossible to resist. I NEVER think of the calories. NEVER think of where this fits in a healthy life/foodplan. NEVER think of the consequences. It's a big hurdle for me to overcome. Planning is the solution. Only one question to ask then "Is it on my plan?" Yes or no? Not a money issue. Not a novelty issue. Just a plain old yes or no answer. It strikes me that this is what you are talking about, in that we can't rely on our willpower (response: use Beck strategies) to get us through these very tempting-on-more-than-one-level situations. Criteria=price? check. novelty? check. desire? check. easy and quick to eat? check. All systems go! Yikes.

hbuchwald Kudos for getting that exercise in and for staying on plan and for planning at all! Awesome! You ARE doing it... keep it going. You'll get through your busy time coming up and it sounds like so much fun. Enjoy.

Onebyone~ you need better locks on your doors!!! Keep those little buggers from making their way back in

I got on the treadmill last night!!! Yah me!! Eating is good, I need to work on slowing down tho.

Im getting my face back too!! I have what I call a "sugar mask" that puffy, tired look. Its almost all gone! For other people its very similar to how you look after eating way too much salt.

The plan today is to get half a day in here at the shop, get some grocery shopping done this afternoon, then its home to dig out the flagstone out of the front walk way. We are having someone come and dig everything up and weed the garden (we killed the natural weed killers...ants) Whoda thunk it!? I just dont have the time or the energy to do it.....so we traded weeding for truck lettering works for me!

I must admit I've been lurking lately as I really don't feel I have much to say! I think a little of it is cabin fever. We're on this summer's 39th day of 100 degree+ temperatures and while I guess I could go to a pool, it's just too darn hot!

I've been eating on plan and working out. Trying to get as much Jazzercise in as possible before school starts again and my schedule gets turned upside down.

OP yesterday without any struggle. Even got my water in. Lost some appetite yesterday, but found it about 10 pm. With taking off to go to PT, work busy and missed lunch.

Physical therapy assessment: Water walking with arms extended requires very strong forearms. Inadequate strength in my wrists to keep them extended was putting excess load on my elbows (ideally should be mostly on shoulders). Both elbows sore, but left one so inflammed I can not even hold a cup of coffee in that hand. Initially, PT wanted me to rest it entirely.

After some thought she agreed I needed to keep up my exercise program. So, she decided I should 1) Cut arm exercise time in half (do my legs, but "float my arms on noodle" for half the workout. 2) For other half, position arms/hands into running position which would force resistance load more onto shoulders. Other instructions were not to lift anything with left arm and make sure ergonomics OK at work.

Tried it last night. Too crowded in pool to use noodle, but figured how to just float arms. Less pain today. But, I could tell that exercise did not require as much exertion. OH WELL, arms will recover, and I will stay on an exercise program even though I am tempted to let this stop me (a past behavior pattern).

DH back tonight! At lake this weekend with younger couple. I am planning to entertain them in my diet world...veggies, fruit, low fat protein. Ah, the legacy of "Sue Antoinette"! Can I stick to it...and feel good about it?

RobinW-Yup, gotta take it one day at a time most days. Occasionally, one hour or one minute at a time. Proud of you for recovering your program! Big pat on the back!

QuilterInVA-Thanks for the heads up on the new Beck book. Too bad its ship date is so far away.

Kuhljeanie-I think you are on solid ground that if your hunger is this high/persistent then your body does need some more calories....not many, but 100-200 of some protein would be a guess. I would wonder if you don't do that, the body will drop your BMR.

onebyone-Glad you are back...hopefully to 100% very soon! Good luck with the market this weekend. Hope you land a BIG PRIZE!

Hbuchwald-Glad to hear you are ON! Kudos for making plans to stay ON during your upcoming travels. You can do it! Water walking (or treading) can be quite a work out, but hope you do find that bike so you will get some training time in during your travels.

BillBlueEyes-Big credit for halting all those sabotagers and just keeping on with the walk. Wow-pineapple for $2...just paid $6 for one (yes it was a treat). I can sing number 10, but don't know the group. Never was good with names, but love music. I like the "that isn't about me" response. Better for the psyche than "poor me, its unfair". Think I am going to snarf that line for myself.

sciencequeen-I frequently reread days and have taken "extra days" just to work on areas that I know will need bolstering. You can drop that 1/2 size...very realistic. I am finding my nonscale goals more important than the scale. Functional things are mattering more to me than numbers. For protein, I am using shaved turkey. I have gotten pretty good at knowing what it takes to weigh 1 oz. It is low calorie, no prep but good protein. Nuts are also great, but I have to watch the fat content and my tendency to not eat stop eating them. I am trying to get used to soy "nuts".

Hope you have a great Friday. If the Lake internet is wacko--may not post until Monday.

feeling better today (adios, TOM!) although still hungry. last weekend was so cake-crazy i never got around to grocery shopping. since we're moving in a few weeks, DH and i thought we'd just work through some of the food in the pantry/deep freeze. this is all well and good - except i'm missing my grilled amish chicken breasts that i throw in and on everything. so, apparently, today is Make Time for Grilled Chicken day.

had someone else at work comment on my weight loss yesterday. it's nice - but it would be nicer if i were in fact losing weight. amazing that i can get so much smaller without actually dropping pounds! i'm comfortably in a size 14, a little smaller than i was before i got pregnant. so, credit moi. really want to push past that 181-183 pound mark, though. it's been 3 or 4 months.

i have a beloved friend who is coming to realize that his worrying and anxiety are affecting his quality of life. we did a little internet searching, and came across this syndrome called generalized anxiety disorder (GAD). describes his situation absolutely perfectly. the most successful treatment is - drumroll please - CBT! he doesn't have the means for therapy, so we ordered a CBT workbook for GAD it and i'm officially his "worry coach." figured we'd start with the ARC - he's writing down all the advantages of a life without constantly worrying about everything. the biggest challenge for him appears to be "believe it." what a great side benefit of my doing this program. i really hope it helps him! and i'm also realizing that working through it with him will be a huge benefit to me in my process as well. just nice and serendipidous.

another big win for thin me yesterday - DH stayed up in dayton, and i've noticed that nights i'm alone tend to be big ole bad eating nights for me with sweets and salty greasy stuff. so last night, i really focused on eating to satiety, and had a measured portion of healthy acai sorbet as dessert, since i really wanted something sweet. managed to get away with it for under 100 calories. go me! i was also going to practice some sugar work for the bridal shower roses due in a couple of weeks, but hey, i'm not superwoman. instead, i zoned out on the couch - but not eating. small victory!

eating both lunch and dinner out today. it's not conducive to losing weight (i'm starting to suspect i'm a little salt-sensitive) but it's great for practicing my beck skills (leaving food on my plate, etc.) so that's what i'm going to focus on.

robin, isn't it great to look in the mirror and feel good about what you see? i'm more and more convinced that one's actual weight isn't really the determining factor. and onebyone power to the protein! i'm pulling for you working nadine's plan! heidi, have an absolutely fabulous time at the beach. i'll be stuck in cincinnati, packing up four years of house. i'm envious as ****. sciencequeen, i feel ya! i didn't pack up the maternity clothes until a few months ago (DS is almost a year and a half). we're trying to figure out the timing of #2 and the prospect of working my way back from pregnancy again is daunting. my hat's off to you! sue, good luck with the crafting and feeling fit! really appreciate your words of encouragement. i do believe that eventually i'll get sick of this weird in-between state (can't bring myself to binge, can't bring myself to eat clean) but it appears to be part of my process, and apparently pretty normal for other folks as well. it may be by fits and starts, but i'm getting there. thanks for the encouragement! shrinkin, kudos on yet ANOTHER on plan day - and for recognizing and counteracting a sabotaging though so amazingly quickly! appreciate the input on BMR and i think you're correct. freer, lurk away. i sometime feel bad if i don't have the time to write out a novel and personals. there's a thinking mistake there...bill, how interesting that they all come at you at once. they're definitely doing you a favor by making themselves so obvious, though, don't you think? last gasp of a dying breed?

Hi all. I'm new to the beck Diet Solution. Started reading it at the beginning of summer, became really interested but then as usual let it go. but it's been in the back of my mind all along so now I'm going to really read it and follow it. (Just convincing myself...positive thoughts)
M

Getting myself ready to get ready for the market. I can't believe I woke up still feeling queasy. I ate "normal" yesterday and it may have been too much too soon. In fact I still feel full from dinner last night. I think today I will make sure to get all my water in, plus some extra and stick to some whole natural foods. Nothing canned, frozen, or processed. A good day to attempt this as I will be at the market where that is the whole point!

Hrmph. Today I was supposed to be setting up house in the cottage by the ocean in Nova Scotia. We had to cancel our holiday this year. *inserting big sigh right here*. I met a woman who was visiting for the first time from England at the art show last week. I was moved to give her one of my mini happy fish to wear. She told me she was going to Nova Scotia with her son and her trip sounded just like the one we were going to do. So I gifted her with a mini fish, pinned it to her backpack, and told her if she got to the Lunenburg Folk Art Festival on Sunday Aug 3rd, she had to write me a full report with pictures. At least my fish is out there taking it in.
That's the closest I am getting this year.

Better go. DH is up and in the shower. He has to bring me to the market as I have to dismantle the market display this afternoon and I need him to be there to help get everything in the car in one go. He's no company until after 1pm. I've learned this the hard way He looks wide awake, but he's not.
A true night owl.

Diet Coaches  Yikes, we sorta got ahead of ourselves here in the fruit after dinner department. Had to choose between watermelon, fresh pineapple, mango, fresh apricots, Gala Apples, fresh figs, seedless green grapes, and cantaloupe - all ripe in my refrigerator NOW. Definitely a case of over buying. But, didn't have them all, as initially seemed like a good idea. Had one apricot, 1/2 a fig, and watermelon. CREDIT moi. Feel a little guilty that this is considered a problem in my life.

Yep, shrinkin, CD#11 was Love (Can Make You Happy) by Mercy.

CD#12 of the 13 CDs for $1:

Quote:

Sloopy lives in a very bad part of town
And everybody there tries to put my Sloopy down
Sloopy I don't care what your daddy do
'Cause you know Sloopy girl I'm in love with you
And so I'm singing...

Jean (kuhljeanie) - Kudos for pulling off the evening alone without over-eating. What a neat situation working with your friend using CBT based on your Beck experience. It is pretty amazing to shift from guilt and not possible to this strategy will work. Good luck with that. Are you thinking of another career?

onebyone  Yay that the bug has passed. Will keep my fingers crossed also for your sales this weekend. Just loved your discussion of the buying the chocolate bars for only 49 cents each, and your summary: "Criteria=price? check. novelty? check. desire? check. easy and quick to eat? check. All systems go! Yikes." You certainly captured me there. All systems go!, LOL. Methinks I gotta figure out a way to get a second opinion at that point.

Robin (RobinW) - Liked your: "you need better locks on your doors!!!" Another zillion dollars to be made with the miracle Robin's No Weight Gain Door Locks, LOL. Good luck with your flagstones.

shrinkin - Ouch for sore elbows - that's an unintuitive cause. Hope you can keep with your water walking. Glad that you're adopting the Sue-Antoinette style of entertaining, maybe she's started a new trend.

freer - Ouch for all those hot days. Kudos for eating on plan and keeping up with your Jazzercise. Glad you make yourself visible so we can send you our positive vibes and get the benefit of knowing that you're working the program along with us.

Lisa Marie (sciencequeen)  You quoted such a great line from Beck, "In fact, some people who struggle to lose weight experience hunger and cravings as emergencies: I must eat now!" That was an insight for me, also. Hunger is NOT an emergency, can you imagine? Neat that you're putting extra days into this one. Kudos for working it out that you "need to balance my nutrition better."

M (goodnuff)  Kudos giving yourself positive thoughts - that's a very Beck approach to getting started. Looking forward to hearing your progress as you begin reading the book. Are you reading the book or the workbook?

Readers  " For example, Ive found that to lose excess weight and keep it off, its important to do the following:

I had a pretty rough day yesterday. I started feeling a bit too wonky, and I know its from my eating. I ended up having an unplanned healthy snack before bed. It was my chocolate peanut butter pudding (cottage cheese/pb/coca/oatmeal/sweetener) I think this did the trick, because Im feeling better this morning. Sleep was horrible last night too....even with the a/c on I was really restless.

I decided to switch over my diet to weight watchers, keeping it lower in carbs. I like that we are told to pick 2 diets with Beck. It helps me keep from feeling guilty about it.

Bill~ I love fresh fruit! Pineapple I can only eat cooked...fresh cut from the plant itself gives me big huge honkin pimples!! Sometimes getting all the fruit eaten before it goes bad can be a challenge. Make a compote if it over rippens and use it for toast or bagels

onebyone~ sorry to hear about your summer trip being cancelled!

Well, its 10:14 am and our gardener/weeders were suppose to be here by 9 Looks like I may have to do the weeding myself after all. I just dont wanna!!

Thank you for the super nice welcome!
I think I came across mention of Beck on the sparkpeople website. It sounded just like what I needed. I'm positive to everyone but myself and I have sabotaged myself so many times. I know I need a "from the ground up" approach and have known for a long time that I need to fix my insides (emotions) before I can fix my outside.
I found 3FC's by looking for an on-line support group specifically for Beck dieters that was active daily and here you guys are! My tendency is to be a lurker but that hasn't helped me in the past so my goal is to be more active in the posts.
Again, thank you for the welcome.
M

Disc #12 tune-got the title, the beat and more stanzas going in my head -but will never remember the group.

Did take a one day hiatus from being on program yesterday-follow my basic program but added some (a bit many) very lovely glasses of wine-Had fun, laughed and slept like a log. Don't think it is the wine but the instant relaxation which I get from it. Still working on trying to get that peaceful relaxed feeling without food and wine-Much improved but still have occassional slip ups. Back to program today.

Prior to last night I have been plagued with very poor sleep-too few hours and very disturbed when sleeping-anyone have any success with supplements in in this area?

RobinW-have no guilty in changing diets-I view eating on program as a life long plan-( just get to add a bit more food during maintainance) important to find what works the best for you. Wishing you a good night sleep!!

BBE-sometimes I make granitas with fruit using stuvia(nonsugar sweetener) if it starts to get too ripe-enjoy the bounty.

Onebyone-Great story about sending such good thoughts with the woman going to Novia Scotia- May money, time and vacation location soon come to you. We have 6 selling days during August -am hopefully nervous about them.

Welcome goodnuff!! this is a great spot to work on Beck

Jean-Great that you are coaching your friend about anxiety using CBT-give your review about the material-Anxiety plays a big role in my off program eating. Enjoy your complements for a slimming body-could it be you are getting more muscles which truly weigh more than fat?

shrinkin-good luck with company-always a food challenge-go for taking care of yourself! Give yourself much credit for maintaining the pattern of doing exercising even if you have to modify it-For me the consistancy of the pattern is so important to I don't fall into the "I am too busy" excuse.

Freer-Yuck about those +100 day-Find that kind of heat very tiring-glad you posting and credit to you for being on program and exercising inspite of feeling blah.

Heidi-glad you are feeling more successful with your food-While we are slow loser we deserve so much credit for losing weight and maintaining it over time!! Would love to lose it quicker-it just isn't in my genetic code but we are beating back those fat cells-just one cell at a time. Have a great vacation.

Hi there "peeps",
Things are going well here actually. I have been "OP" for 2 days and plan to do the same today. I am down a few lbs (thanks to TOM gone and water drinking and eating a normal amount). I will go on a big ol bike ride today and then we begin the huge line of "events" that lead us to the wedding and then getting on that plane on Monday morning.

I will be thinking of you all, my coaches (envisioning little angels on my shoulder.....to counter the sabotaging devil on my other shoulder)...

Welcome goodnuff. I'm new here too. This is a great supportive group of people that will help you a lot.

Quilter for occasional sleep problems I like to take a benadryl or two at bedtime or, if I wake up around 1 a.m. or so I sometimes take just one at that time.

I went to a restuarant yesterday for my weekly planned off-plan meal. I overate and noticed that I did this because I was thinking that this was my one meal a week to 'go wild.' Any suggestions for this sabotaging thought? I am certain that restaurants will be one of my bigger challenges.

Today my husband and I were out and about and went to a taco restaurant for lunch. This was not on my plan so instead of ordering my usual 3 tacos I ordered 2. I will plan a lighter dinner tonight and end up only a couple of hundred calories over plan for the day.

I don't feel 'out of control' but I have a question about this behavior. Did this 'break' any Beck rules? I guess I'm wondering how you make room for spontanaety while doing Beck. Or, is this a slippery slope to sabotaging thoughts?